About NoteFest
The gamified music education platform for strings, band, and chorus — built by an educator who's spent a lifetime in it.
The Problem
Music teachers today stitch together 3–5 disconnected tools to cover theory, ear training, technique, and performance. Students switch between apps, YouTube videos, and printed worksheets — none of it talking to each other, none of it engaging enough to keep them coming back.
NoteFest replaces that patchwork with one platform: gamified lessons, interactive ear training, and a guided journey from a student's first note to their first recital.
About the Founder
Sergei Panov is a violinist, educator, and curriculum designer who has spent over two decades teaching strings at every level — from 5th grade orchestra to conservatory. Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, he emigrated to the US at age 12 and went on to earn a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance from Temple University, where he served as Concertmaster of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra under the late Joseph Primavera and studied under the late Helen Kwalwasser.
He has taught at:
- 5th Grade Orchestra teacher, Montgomery Lower Middle School (current)
- Orchestra teacher, John Marshall Elementary School (Edison, NJ)
- Violin faculty, Westminster Conservatory
- Director of Orchestra, Rahway High School
- Manager, Central Jersey Region Orchestra
- NJ All-State Violin Sectionals clinician
- Presenter, NJMEA Conference & Rowan University
He is the founder of Violin Explained, an educational platform and method book series that has helped thousands of students start playing string instruments — fast, and with confidence.
21+ Books, Sold Worldwide
Sergei's instructional manuals are used by students and teachers across the US and internationally, available through Amazon and J.W. Pepper.
Selected titles
📗 Learn Violin Fast — Books 1, 2 & 3 (English)
📗 Aprende Violín Rápido — Books 1, 2 & 3 (Spanish)
📗 Aprende Viola / Cello Rápido — Book 1
📗 Practical Scales & Arpeggios — Violin, Viola, Cello & Bass
📗 Conductor's Score — Practical Scales & Arpeggios (2024)
Why NoteFest
After 20 years in classrooms, writing method books, and watching students lose interest before they ever heard themselves play something beautiful — Sergei built NoteFest to be what didn't exist.
The goal isn't just to teach music. It's to make the early stages of learning so engaging that students want to keep going — and give teachers one place to send them.